Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20171201

Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. The ford foundation. Working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and friends of the newshour. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff he was candidate trumps, and then President Trumps, main adviser on National Security and foreign policy. But today, Michael Flynn entered a guilty plea in the special counsels investigation into russia, the Trump Campaign and the 2016 election. William brangham begins our coverage. Brangham Michael Flynn walked into federal court in washington this morning, and plead guilty to a single count of making false statements to the f. B. I. Hes now the seniormost member of the Trump Administration to cooperate in special counsel Robert Muellers probe into russian meddling in the election. Prosecutors say flynn lied when he denied that he and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak discussed u. S. Sanctions against russia, during and after the 2016 campaign. According to court documents, flynn now says an unidentified senior official in the Trump Transition Team directed his contacts with the russians. In a statement, flynn said his guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the special counsel are in the best interests of my family and of our country. And, he said, i accept full responsibility for my actions. Yeah, thats right, lock her up brangham the retired Lieutenant General was an ardent booster of candidate trump if i did onetenth of what she did, i would be in jail. Brangham sometimes flynn lead chants against hillary clinton, and defended trumps America First approach. The destructive pattern of putting the interests of other nations ahead of our own will end when donald trump is president. Brangham then, he was tapped to be National Security adviser, but in february, the president fired him. The white house said hed misled officials about his discussions with kislyak. General flynn is a wonderful man. Brangham still, President Trump continued to defend flynn. I think hes been treated very, very unfairly by the media. As i call it, the fake media, in many cases. And i think its really a sad thing that he was treated so badly. Brangham today, just after the guilty plea, the white house cancelled a photo op with President Trump and the libyan prime minister, and the president ignored shouted questions. Instead, in a statement, white house attorney ty cobb said, the false statement involved mirror the false statements to white house officials, which resulted in his resignation in february of this year. Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than mr. Flynn. Cobb added that flynns plea clears the way for a prompt and reasonable conclusion to the russia probe. Flynn has also been accused of attempting to cover up lobbying work he did for the turkish government. He was reportedly paid at least 600,000 for that work, just before he was tapped as National Security adviser. Hes one of four former trump advisers charged thus far in the mueller investigation. The others are former Trump Campaign chairman paul manafort, and his business associate rick gates, and former Transition Team member George Papadopoulos. Flynn sentencing is expected in a few months. For the pbs newshour, im william brangham. Woodruff well explore the flynn plea deal, and how it affects the white house, after the news summary. In the days other news, there is word that President Trump urged Top Senate Republicans to end an investigation of russias meddling in last years election. The New York Times reports that the president spoke to several republican senators over this past summer. Richard burr, chair of the Senate Intelligence committee, confirms that mr. Trump asked for a quick end to the probe. The white house says the president did nothing improper. The u. S. Senate plowed ahead today on a republican tax bill, with key senators voicing support. Leaders spent last night and part of today rewriting key sections to deal with deficit worries, among other issues. We will have a full report, later in the program. It is reported that texas republican congressman Blake Farenthold settled a Sexual Harassment claim for 84,000 in Government Funds in 2014. Politico says the money went to farentholds former communications director. The congressman would neither confirm nor deny the report. Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee formally asked for records of all taxpayerfunded payments for Sexual Harassment claims. In bangladesh, pope francis met with Rohingya Muslim refugees from myanmar today, and apologized for their persecution. He greeted and blessed the refugees, and used the term rohingya, something he had not done while he was in myanmar. translated in the name of all of those who have persecuted you, hurt you, especially the indifference in the world, i ask for forgiveness, forgiveness. The presence of god today is also called rohingya. Woodruff hundreds of thousands of rohingya have fled to bangladesh since august, but myanmars government has denied accusations of ethnic cleansing. President trump today rejected news accounts that he is planning to remove secretary of state rex tillerson. In an afternoon tweet, the president said the reports are fake news. He acknowledged that he and tillerson sometimes disagree, but he said i call the final shots. Tillerson himself was asked about the reports as he met with libyas visiting prime minister. He replied, its laughable. An independent review finds multiple failings by police in that violent White Nationalist rally in charlottesville, virginia, last summer. The review, released today, points to a breakdown in planning and coordination and a failure to maintain order. The clashes flared in august, during protests against removing a confederate statue. In the midst of it all, a car plowed into counter demonstrators, killing a woman. And, wall street gave some ground after yesterdays big rally. The Dow Jones Industrial average lost 40 points to close at 24,231. The nasdaq fell 26 points, and the s p 500 slipped five. For the week, the dow gained almost 3 , and, the s p 500 rose 1. 5 . The nasdaq fell half a percent. Still to come on the newshour how Michael Flynns plea deal could change the russia investigation. From the senate floor, the latest in the tax battle. Reactions to an undocumented immigrant acquitted of murder charges. And, much more. Woodruff now again our lead story former National Security adviser Michael Flynns guilty plea, and what it does and does not mean for President Trump. Im joined by nprs justice correspondent, Carrie Johnson. And, john carlin. He ran the justice departments National Security division from 2013 to 2016. Before that, he served as chief of staff and senior counsel to thenf. B. I. Director Robert Mueller. And welcome both of you back to the program. Carrie, im going to start with you. Were hearing and told Michael Flynn has pleaded guilty on this one significant charge but were not told why he did it. What do we know . There is so much more the investigators with special counsel were probing with respect to Michael Flynn and son who was his business associate ranging from allegations that he violated the foreign agents registration act through some of his business deals in turkey and russia but he pleaded guilty to one false statements charge and could spend zero to six months in prison. The feeling is he delivered somethingo the special counsel it didnt have before with respect with respect to the investigation and thats why the lenient deal. Woodruff the information released said there was a seep yore official inside the trump transition who directed him to make these contacts with russian officials. What is known about who these or individuals or that individual was. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the f. B. I. In a january 27 interview and he lied to the f. B. I. About two things, one about his contacts with the Russian Ambassador during the transition about u. S. Sanctionons russia and, two, he lied about contacts with the Russian Ambassador at the time sur jay kislyak with respect to u. N. Security Council Resolution involving israeli settlements. The plea documents talk about a senior official in the transition and a very senior official in the transition, but prosecutors have not identified those people. What we know from the white house is that all eyes right now are on Jared Kushner. People close to kushner and the white house say kushner did not direct flynn to do anything with respect to the israeli settlements. That was a thereaboutive effort. A lot were involved includele reince priebus. Woodruff Jared Kushner mash rido the president s daughter. It is the case Michael Flynn was in legal jeopardy on several things, not just the lying, to the f. B. I. So what does it say that this is the deal that was worked out . And before we think about with were going, we should think about where we are. At this point, weve now had the now president s former Campaign Manager be charged with serious felonies including accepting tens of millionso of dollars from russian interests and lying about it while involved with the campaign. Woodruff paul manafort. Paul manafort. Weve had George Papadopoulos identified by President Trump as up with of his key advicers on National Security matters pleading guilty about lying about contacts with russian interests and now have the sitting National Security advisor of the United States at that time lying to the f. B. I. While in that position about secret conversations he was having with the Russian Ambassador. This is historic. If you look ahead, i think carrie makes a good point in terms of whats in the charges. There is another part of the charge not getting as much attention today but he also pled guilty to making false statements about relationships with the turkish government linked to the foreign agents registration act. It shows there was nor cuppable contact that could have been charged. Under guidelines as prosecutors, were not supposed to charge in someone to a less serious charge unless wety they can provide information, cooperation thats going to lead to someone more cullable where the interests of the United States will be vindicated. That indicates valuable cooperation and more to come. Woodruff but we dont have a hint yet at this point what that is, right . No, we dont. And, usually, when you do these documents, you know whats going to be public when in an active investigation and there may be parts theyre deliberately keeping from the public eye so as not to interfere with the ongoing investigation. Woodruff what do you know about the piece . It should be known the white house has been trying to wrap up the investigation. Theyve scheduled a barrage of interviews with the Current White House officials with the special counsel team. We know last month Jared Kushner met with special counsel investigators. The question now is what he spooled special counsel investigators then, whether that convicts and where there are any inconsistencies from what they have accepted from Michael Flynn and others in the investigation. Woodruff what can you read more into this and more material was released today, but you get a larger sense of what it is that the special counsel robartt mueller is trying to put together here. One of the most significant events was the director of the f. B. I. At the time, director comey, testifying he had had a conversation with the president of the United States where the attorney general and other officials were ordered out of the room and, in that conversation in the oval office that the president had told him essentially to see if he could let this thing with flynn go, and one of the questions youre asking yourself as a prosecutor is did he do it with corrupt intent and, later, when he fires director comey did he with corrupt intent want to protect himself and those around him and stop the investigation. Today soot piece in the puzzle. No longer allegation, hes pled guilty to a felony, the same person the president was trying to protect. Woodruff the white house are saying repeatedly today this is one isolated plea, it only involves Michael Flynn, it doesnt touch anybody else in the white house. Yeah, the white house law year ty cobb also said Michael Flynn was an Obama Administration official. What he didnt say is mike was fired by the Obama Administration and mike served for 25 days in the Trump White House as its National Security advisor. Woodruff and a longtime Campaign Advisor. Longtime Campaign Advisor to donald trump. I think the white house is downplaying the effects of the plea and not a good day for the people in the whiewnsd those who worked on the Transition Team for sure. Woodruff john carlin, for those following, what do we look for next . Its clear Robert Mueller is playing cards close to the vest. It wasnt announced up till he was going to the courthouse for plea. Thats classic for him, as i worked with him as a prosecutor, when he talks it would be through the formal charging documents which tell a story. For those involved in the investigation, i think they send a clear message that if you come in and you cooperate, weve seen now two individuals get severely reduced charges to what they might otherwise be facing with their cooperation, and for the individuals who didnt come in to cooperate, theyre facing a very serious set of charges in an indictment. Woodruff carrie, you said not a good day for the white house. How are they taking it . The white house had a Christmas Party for reporters, it was off the record. The mood was subdued and, in fact, the atmosphere right now is one of uncertainty for the very reason you mentioned, judy. Nobody knows what might happen next. Woodruff Carrie Johnson with npr, john carlin, thank you both. Thank you, judy. Woodruff and in todays other major story line, republican holdouts lined up to support a sweeping tax overhaul in the senate. Lisa desjardins is at the capitol. Desjardins in the senate, lastminute shifts and changes on a bill that could affect the nation for at least a decade. Deficit hawk jeff flake became a dayof yes. We didnt get everything we wanted. Desjardins that despite almost no change in the bills bottom line. Why is he a yes . In a statement, flake said he got a deal on two other things he wanted one, to extend an expensing deduction for businesses. And two, to get him a seat in negotiations over the fate of dreamers those illegally brought to the u. S. As children. Unless we can get started on immigration reform, and that starts with daca, thats the easy should be the easy part. And so, ive been talking about that to the Vice President quite a bit, and others, and i got a good commitment to work on daca quickly. Desjardins but the White House Point person on working with congress, marc short, told newshour that while flake will be part of the daca conversation, he did not get any other guarantees. For republicans, it was an easy deal to get a breakthrough yes vote. And by noon, Senate Leader Mitch Mcconnell told reporters they absolutely had the votes to pass their bill. But as the clock ticked on voting day, the final bill itself was slow to appear. Democrats like Chuck Schumer railed against the idea of a final vote coming within hours, without final language yet in hand. Why on earth wouldnt you want to spend more than a few hours looking at a bill of this magnitude . What might have been snuck in . What might have been changed by mistake innocent mistake . There are so many reasons to not rush this bill through. Desjardins to democrats outrage, from republicans came a steady confidence that a once inageneration tax bill was on track to become law. This morning was traumatic, now a waiting game with staffers sitting in chairs waiting for this bill to be posted. We havent seen the language yet, judy, so we also dont know what time a vote could happen, nor do we know how much time we will have or lawmakers will have to read this bill before they could vote. Judy . Lisa, as youre suggesting, a lot of changes being made very fast. What do we know about the major changes that happened . Thats right. These are key changes to bring on some of the big votes today. At the top of that list, republicans in the senate restored the alternative minimum tax into the bill. They repealed it. Thats th the tax for the wealt. Its now back into the bill. It would tax fewer of the wealthy and have a higher threshold in this version. We dont know how high. Theyre working that out. Another change, they would actually raise the deduction for tax thrust, a bigger tax break for the smaller businesses, owneroperated businesses. Also includes donald trump. Theyd allow a 10,000 property Tax Deduction, and thats the state and local Tax Deduction Susan Collins of maine wanted and she got it. Woodruff the other big piece of this, of course, is the deficit, what this bill would do to the deficit. We know senator bob corkers one republican holdout because of it. What are other republicans saying . Thats right, tonight bob corker is the only republican novote on this bill because to have the deficit. Everyone else said they will get on board. According to the Congressional Budget Office, on the current path, the nation will have a debt of about 30 trillion in ten years, that is a massive amount and 91 of our gross domestic product. If the tax bill were passed. If either the house or snacial were passed. That would at 1 the 2 there does more to the debt according to the joint committee on taxation. Now republicans say that they dont think that number is accurate. They think all the tax cuts will actually decrease the deficit, and it looks like tonight, judy, that of all those republicans, one republican seems to be believing the analysts, all 51 others are breefg their sense that the tax cuts will help the economy. Woodruff and that one, of course, we mentioned being senator corker from tennessee. Lisa, once this is out of the is that, it still has to go to conference committee, they have to work out an agreement with the house. What does that look like . To be honest, judy, there are big differences in these bills as they stand now. The amt being back in the bill as i just mentioned now, the difference on the Small Business taxes they have to work out so the house will not automatically pass the senate bill as sometimes it does. However the pressure on the republicans to pass a tax bill is to overwhelming, i think once this gets through the senate, its almost a sure thing that some kind of tax bill will make it through congress and perhaps very quickly maybe in the next week. Woodruff youre right, a lot of pressure on them theyre feeling to get this done before the end of the month. Lisa desjardins, thank you very much. My pleasure. Woodruff stay with us. Coming up on the newshour mark shields and Michael Gerson take on a full week of news. And an argument in favor of Binge Watching. But first, a not guilty verdict in a murder case that has become a touchstone in the National Debate over immigration. And to hari sreenivasan. Sreenivasan the acquittal of an undocumented mexican immigrant charged with murdering San Francisco resident kate steinle in 2015 drew immediate fire from President Trump. Mr. Trump has repeatedly invoked her death to rally support for a crackdown on illegal immigration. For more on the verdict, we are joined by vivian ho. She covers criminal justice for the San Francisco chronicle. Vivian, you were in the courtroom to see some of this. What were the cases that the prosecution and the defense laid out . The charges against mr. Garcia zarate were murder, possession of a Deadly Weapon and possession of a firearm as a felon to. Prove murder, the prosecution had to prove he intentionally and deliberately fired the gun at kate steinle. The prostitution had many theories about this case. One of them was that he purposely brought the gun to the pier to play his own secret game of russian roulette, that he was session riat the pier scoping out targets and he wanted to shoot anybody and that person just happened to be kate steinle. Another theory they offered was that, you know, he pointed the gun at kate steinle, something about kate steinle angered him and he pointed a gun directed at her and pulled the trigger. On the other hand, the defense maintained from the beginning this was all an accident, that mr. Garcia zarate never had any intention to do harm, that, in fact, he had no idea he even had a gun. But the defense said from the beginning that he was sitting on his chair at the pier when he discovered a bundle at his feet, and while reaching for that bundle, he grabbed it and accidentally discharged a firearm which then went on to strike the ground 12 feet away and rick shea up and travel 78 more feet to strike kate steinle in the back. Sreenivasan the president called this a disgraceful verdict but also said the jury was not told the killer of kate was a seventime felon. What were his previous charges and Violent Crimes . They were not Violent Crimes. Mr. Garcia zarate, the majority of his criminal history had to do with reentry into the country, so the majority of his charges were that he was deported and went back in and, you know, he was a homeless man, to there were a there are several nonviolent drug convictions on his record as well. Sreenivasan how did President Trump use this case on the campaign trail . Very soon after the killing, President Trump got on twitter and tweeted that this was a situation of bad immigration, that mr. Garcie zarate should be deported and kate steinle should be alive. President trump sort of used this case as a way to rally people who were looking for better Immigration Enforcement and to release on a target cities with sanctuary policies like San Francisco. Sreenivasan what happens to mr. Zarate now . Mr. Zarate, while he was acquitted of murder, manslaughter and assault with a firearm, he was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. That conviction holds a possible sentence of three years in state prison. Hes already served a lot of that time waiting for the trial to happen. Because of this, he will most likely not have to serve any time after this. But the situation is that there is a federal warrant for his detainment at the moment, which means that, even if he is released immediately or after sentencing, he still has to be held, and he will most likely be deported. Sreenivasan vivian ho, San Francisco chronicle, thank you so much. Thank you. Woodruff from courthouses to congress, it has been a week crammed full of news. A Michael Flynn guilty plea, momentum for the republican tax plan, and increased calls for congressman john conyers to resign amid charges of sexual misconduct. That brings us to the analysis of shields and gerson. Thats syndicated columnist mark shields, and Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson. David brooks is away. Welcome to both of you. So, mark shields, what a day here in washington. The special counsel Robert Mueller made news early today with this guilty plea from retired general Michael Flynn, the president s former National Security advisor. What do you make of it . Well, judy, one former federal prosecutor said that Michael Flynn was looking at several score years, potentially, behind bars for the offenses that were listed against him, and for Robert Mueller to accept his plea of guilty for one charge of lying to the f. B. I. , which is a very serious charge, led him and all of his colleagues to conclude that this is big, that what he is delivering, he, Michael Flynn, to Robert Mueller and his office, is so significant that they would let his son off and apparently not proceed on the charges carrie mentioned in the earlier segment about his not registering to work with turkey and the orthocharges against him. Woodruff and again, Michael Gerson, the white house is saying thats well and good but what Michael Flynn did and had nothing to do with anybody in the white house. Not a particularly credible response at this point. It did feel like an historic day. This, when the history of the Trump Administration is written, i think russia will be in the first paragraph, and reason is exactly what mark was talking about is that mueller got something in order to give a considerable amount here. We dont really know what it is that he got. Its still, you know, undetermined. But he got something that he felt that he could bring to a grand jury and that would forward a case towards people who are higher, and there arent too many other people who are higher. The group is small and many of them have the trump family connection. So i think you cant argue that this is just restricted to him. He was turned in order to turn against others, and i think mueller has a good idea of what that testimony will look like. Woodruff and, mark, there is a drum beat from people who say there is too much focus on this russia investigation, we dont know where its heading, its taking up a lot of time and energy, and what does it add up to . Well, i think what it adds up to, judy, is that when its been compared today, Michael Flynn to john dean, who had been white House Counsel to richard nixon. When john dean came clean, it wasnt halderman, chief of staff in the white house or john ehrlichman, white house policy advisor, the two people closest to president nixon, out of side, and the president s in sight and the speculation today in washington is what will President Trump do . Will as the walls apparently seem to close in on him, will he fire Robert Mueller . Lindsey graham urged him not to do it, warned him not to do it. What will the republicans do . Paul ryan praised him, the speaker of the house, recently as a president as strong as any president sense ronald reagan. Its serious, us the real, its genuine. And bob mueller is not playing games. Hes not a partisan. He was appointed by president george w. Bush at the f. B. I. , and, you know, hes a guy whos way above any kind of cheap party politics. Woodruff michael, does it inexorably lead to the president . It leads to a basic question, why has everyone who touched this issue lied, lied to the f. B. I. , lied to the American Public . You know, if they were just having normal contacts with another power, thats what transitions do. But when it came down to it, and this is advice to our viewers at home, you dont lie to the f. B. I. , and that is a dangerous thing because every lie is leverage for them. They use it in order to get more information to make progress in their investigation and, so, they are attracting attention to the mystery at the center of this matter by their descriptions, and it seems like were dealing with something very major. If i could pick up on michaels point which i think is a good one. What we do know is this, that after the election, during the transition when Michael Flynn was out of government but working in the transition about to be named National Security advisor, he, to really frustrate and overcome veto, American Foreign policy legitimately and legally made by the sitting president of the United States barack obama to impose sanctions upon russia for russias meddling and sabotaging the American Election got in touch with ambassador kislyak former ambassador to russia and urged him not to retaliate or overreact to these sanctions. And we know that the next day, russia did not, and the day following that donald trump praised russia for its restraint in not retaliating. It was known that was his position. He wanted better relations. Thats right. But the sequence, in other words, its impossible the believe that Michael Flynn was acting on his own, that he was a lone ranger, that this was not part of and the sequence is there, that, you know, you go to sleep at night and the ground is bare, you wake up in the morning and there is three inches of snow. You didnt see it snow, but the snow on the ground and the circumstantial evidence is pretty persuasive. Woodruff the other story today what we talked to Lisa Desjardins about is speaking of inexrayable, the tax plan was moved through the house, passed and is now about to be passed by every good reporters reporting, its going to pass the senate tonight. What does this say about the Republican Party and how i want to change this chi . Well, there is some drama to this. Last night when the joint Committee Tax report came out and said this would add a trillion to the debt and senator corker said i cant support it it looked like a nearrun thing. But mcconnell gave a rot of people what they wanted like senator collins and others in this process. Ultimately, there werent even three true deficit hawks in the entire republican caucus. There was one, which was corker. All this talk about deficits really was undermined, but the ultimate calculation here that republicans have made broadly on the hill is that, if they end up the year with nothing, that they will be politically punished and their argument is something is better than nothing, even a flawed product like this one. And i dont know if thats a correct argument, but that is generally believed on capitol hill among republicans. Woodruff are they taking a risk by doing in . Theyre taking a risk theyre lose anything sense of integrity. This is a tax bill written sloil for the deserving rich and also, at the same time, manages to help the poor. The joint committee on taxation and Congressional Budget Office indicates that by 2027 americans earning the princely sum of between 40,000 and 50,000 will collectively pay 5. 3 trillion more in taxes. Americans earning over 1 million, by the same study, will receive 5. 7 trillion in tax cuts. I mean, the Republican Party, for the longest time and michael was a cardcarrying member of it believed in small government, limited government, in balanced budgets, and then they drank the koolaid of supply side, and no republican on capitol hill since 1991 has voted since george h. W. Bush was president , has voted to increase taxes. That is the holy grail. Thats the one unifying, galvanizing principle in republicans. Its not civil rights as it once with us, the time of abraham lincoln. Its not even small government or balanced budgets. Its tax cuts and its tax cuts for those best off among us. Woodruff to get to your point and to build on what mark said, michael, this says that republicans, either they dont believe the deficits will grow or dont think its going to be the political liability, or the liability to the economy. And they dont think its a risk to see as the pollute Contract Party going into these elections. That may well be a risk here. One of the examples that senator rubio and lee had a very good proposal here to allow the Child Tax Credit to be deductible against withholding, not just income a taxes, which would really help bluecollar, workingclass families in america. It was deeply controversial, up in the air whats happened, but the republicans are supposed to be the populist party, the party of bluecollar workers and they were not at least as of the moment willing to do Something Like this. And that, i think, is a test that republicans are failing, if they want to be seen as populists in the mode that trump wants the party to be seen. They need to act like it. Woodruff and it looks, mark, as if there is no question the house will go along with something. There will be changes but in the end a tax bill. I think there will and i dont think democrats ought to skate on this, judy. Democrats have let the debate become about the deficit, which means if the republicans to lose the house in 2018 and if the calculations and calibrations are accurate, then when the democrats get back in, they will be beset with enormous deficits and their responsibility will be to do cuts an raise taxes. Lets be very honest about this, part of this is the norquist idea, the republican conservative strategist, and that is you have to shrink the government. Chairman brady head of the house ways and Means Committee already said the next move is on welfare, we have to cut welfare. Welfare means medicaid, medicare and disabilities and social security, and the democrats, like the republicans on healthcare never had a plan, the democrats do not have a single organizing principle that they advance in stead of, and i think that was the failure of democratic leadership. Woodruff but it sounds as if republicans are prepared to make that argument. I agree with that. Theres a possibility of the house might vote on the senate bill and avoid conference here, which i dont know if thats going to happen or not because some members of the house might not want it to happen, but i think that they want to move in this direction as fast as they can and theyre going to tag the democrats with that type of argument. Woodruff less than a minute. John conyers, longest serving member of the house, 88 years old, accused of sexual misconduct, incredible charges against him. Hes holding out on saying hes going to step down but now looks like he will. What does this say . It says, judy, it knows no partisanship or occupation. Its endemic in our society. What had been a high road politically for the democrats ceased to be by the way that this was mishandled by the leader of the Democratic Party on national television, questioning who are the witnesses, something that obviously has not been the democrats approach in the roy moore case in alabama where he stands accused of child molestation. Woodruff it is taking longer thor foes accused in politics than it has for those in other fields of endeavor like the news media and other places where jobs have been taken away and i agree but they dont face the collective liability that nbc faces for allegedly complicit behavior in the matt lauer. Woodruff mark shields, Michael Gerson, thank you both. Woodruff and well be back shortly with a view on Binge Watching television. But first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station. It is a chance to offer your support, which helps keep programs like ours on the air. Woodruff for those stations still with us, what makes a life worth living . What gives it meaning . And how does that change when the time one has left collapses . These are some of the profound questions taken up in a memoir by a doctor who suddenly faced his own mortality. Jeffrey brown has this second look from the newshour bookshelf. Brown as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was used to dealing with lifeanddeath issues. He was, by his own account, a driven man, who studied literature and philosophy before turning to medicine, earning five degrees along the way. He was near completion of a rigorous residency at stanford when, at age 36, he got a diagnosis of lung cancer. Five years down the line, i dont know what i will be doing. I may be dead. I may not be. Brown he would live just 22 months more, and in that time have a child with his wife, lucy, and write an indelible memoir, when breath becomes air. He had thought maybe he would have a long career as a neurosurgeon or a scientist and then maybe a writer. Brown he had planned on all this, right . Thats right. He said, you know, i think i may be years into my retirement now, at age 36. And so what do i want to do . And the answer was write. Brown Lucy Kalanithi is also a doctor. The two met at yale medical school, and were married nine years before pauls death in 2015. He was sort of a perpetual learner and a seeker and somebody who was very interested in kind of understanding what it is to be human and what makes what sort of makes life meaningful. And he approached that brown from the beginning, right . Thats right, yes. He went to grad school in english literature, and sort of made his way into neuroscience because he wanted a real understanding of kind of consciousness and what makes us human. So he kind of came at that from different angles. Brown one of the themes that comes through clearly in his life and his book is identity, right, is sort what makes us, us. Yes. You know, when you have a brain disorder or youre having surgery on your brain, you are thinking about questions like, will this affect my language, will this affect my personality, not just, how does this illness affect my body in other ways . So its kind of a very intense place for decisionmaking about identity. And he was very interested in that. Brown and then, of course, it happens to him. And he starts as hes dying, hes thinking about, if youre dying, rather than living, in a sense, then are you still you . In the moment of diagnoses, he sort of saw his life trajectory and his self kind of come tumbling down. He wasnt going to be a neurosurgeon for years and years. And we thought initially that he actually had less time to live. We thought he might have months or less than a year. And then he started a therapy that allowed him a lot more kind of functionality than he expected and a longer prognosis potentially. And so then it was this big question of, i dont know how much time i have left and how do i spend that time . Who am i . Brown paul spoke of this in a video released by his publisher. Its a careful load to balance. If you dont think about the bad case, that ending is going to be very rough on you and your family. But if you dont think about the good case, youre going to miss an opportunity to really make the most out of your life and time. Brown you know, one of the things that struck me also here is, he learns a lot about doctoring, right, that he had never seen as a doctor. Yes, yes, yes. Brown he writes, for example, at one point, realizing how little doctors understand the hells through for which we put patients. He was really getting to see things from a different side. He had been in medicine for a decade as a student and then a resident, but all these tiny little experiences. Like, as an example, when you get an i. V. And they start infusing normal saline into your vein, you can taste the salt. And he said, i have been a doctor for a decade, and i never knew you could taste the salt. And its all these tiny details that sort of come to the fore. And thats not even to mention the physical and emotional suffering that comes with being sick and the way it rocks you and rocks your family. So, yes, we really kind of felt that. Brown he could look at it intellectually, but he also then had to look at it very realistically. When we got the news of this terrible chest xray that looked really kind of dense with tumors, and kind of helped explain why he had been having weight loss and back pain and real kind of Health Troubles for a few months, both of us knew that the next day we were going to the hospital. He would have a c. T. Scan and it would likely show metastatic cancer. Being doctors, we could see that path. And when we packed for the hospital, i was packing socks and pillows and phone chargers, and he just packed three books. He packed mere christianity by c. S. Lewis, heideggers being and time, and solzhenitsyns cancer ward. And i think it was that transition right away where he said, you know, this is becoming so personal that i need my books. Like, i need to understand this through literature. When he became ill, he kind of translated the experience back into writing and words to make sense of it. And this book is part of that. Brown and what about for you . What did you feel when you read it . So, i read it in real time, as he was writing it. I would read it daily or weekly. And it was kind of a great communication tool for us, actually. Brown the two of you made a very important, major decision in the midst of this, which was to have a child. Thats right. Brown was that a tough decision . Yeah, we had always wanted to have children together. We hadnt done it by the end of his residency. That was around the time we had pictured we always would. And right at that time was when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, terminal lung cancer. And it was a series of really intense conversations to figure out if we wanted to do that and could we handle that, and both of us had the instinct to do it. But we needed to think very hard about what it would mean. You know, we talked really frankly about his prognosis and what was happening. And i said, dont you think that saying goodbye to a child would make your death even more painful . And he said, well, wouldnt it be great if it did . Since cadys birth, my time with her has had a very peculiar and free nature. In all probability, i wont live long enough for her to remember me, and so the time is just is what it is. That was kind of this amazing thing, where its like life isnt just about avoiding suffering. Its about finding meaning. And having a child was part of that for us. Brown the very powerful book is when breath becomes air by Paul Kalanithi. Lucy kalanithi, thank you so much. My pleasure. I wish it were paul here. Thank you. Woodruff binging, until recently, was a word usually associated with the meals we enjoy during the holidays. Not in this golden age of television. New series debut almost every week, and among avid viewers, theres a feeling that you cant keep up. Tonight, actress Annabelle Gurwitch offers her humble opinion on what may be a new addiction. It was 6 00 p. M. When i sat down to watch an episode of the series based on stephen kings the mist. Before i knew it, i was glued to my computer while i cooked and ate dinner, brushed my teeth, took a bath. And it was 4 00 a. M. When i finally dragged myself to bed. After ten consecutive episodes, i still didnt know where the mist came from, where the mist was going, or if mist is condensation or precipitation, but id gotten sucked into the bingewatching black hole where time and space spaghettify and lose all meaning. This cant be good for me, i thought. But last week, i lost the same amount of time reading virginia woolf, so is that any different . Its a good question to ask ourselves, as bingewatching has become the new normal. See, our brains love anticipation, and producers reel you in with cliffhangers. But the excitement doesnt last, and we need more stimulation, like hamsters on a wheel. So when new episodes load seemlessly, you end up watching more than you intended. And not surprisingly, binging has been linked to poorer sleep quality, fatigue, and people report feeling more anxious and depressed afterwards. Now, that could be a chicken or egg question, but, being engrossed in a great novel has been shown to spark neural connectivity which lengthens attention spans, increases vocabulary and even has the potential to raise our i. Q. S. Although, it could be argued that because Binge Viewing is so popular, it increases your social i. Q. Fans even track their binge watches on the internet. On one site, when last i checked, 891 people claim to have spent 12 days, 21 hours, and 30 minutes watching all the episodes of the simpsons. So, to binge or not to binge, that is the question. Which is why im asking myself what would mrs. Dalloway do . I highly doubt that Clarissa Dalloway could have gotten those flowers herself if shed been hypnotized by, say, orange is the new black. But if you should hear that ive gone missing, youll know i got sucked into binging the seven seasons ive missed of game of thrones, and winter has finally come to my house. Woodruff on the newshour online, we will have updates on the senate g. O. P. Tax bill. Plus, we look at four provisions that have little to do with taxes. That and more is on our website, www. Pbs. Org newshour. And tune in later tonight for washington week, with robert costa. Well be watching. Tomorrow on the pbs newshour weekend, in a country divided by war, cyprus turns to science for reconciliation. The fate of hundreds of people on both sides who disappeared in the violence decades ago and were never found. Remains are brought here to lab remains are brought here to labs in the neutral, United Nations controlled green zone in cyprus, to be cleaned and organized. So, you are not just putting the bodies back together, you are putting the country back together . Thats the way we feel here, and thats why we are proud about our work. Woodruff and that is the newshour for tonight. But before we go, we want to say thank you to someone who has played an essential role in this program for 40 years. Peggy robinson has guided our political coverage through scores of National Conventions and elections. She was the lead producer on september 11, 2001. Shes overseen our book author interviews. Today is her last day working with us, but she will always be a beloved friend to me and so many on our staff. Thank you, peggy, for all youve meant to the newshour, and best of luck on this new adventure. We love you. For all of us at the pbs newshour, i am judy woodruff. And have a great weekend. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by bnsf railway. Supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the worlds most pressing problems skollfoundation. Org. The william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and friends of the newshour. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org youre watching pbs. Narrator tonight on frontline. Ramita navai the only way to get in and find out whats really happening is to go in undercover. Narrator correspondent ramita navai is on the ground in iraq. Navai last year, two iraqi journalists investigating the militias here were murdered. Narrator investigating shia militias. explosion . As they help drive isis out of the country. Navai while the west is fighting the war against isis, most people weve spoken to here told us theyre much more scared of the militias. men shouting many people in the government feel that they are powerless to do anything. Narrator ton